[B-Greek] Qualitative Predicate Nominatives

Brian Abasciano bvabasciano at gmail.com
Fri Oct 6 11:42:38 EDT 2006


Woops! I meant to say in number 2: 

"So he thinks these are normally qualitative, sometimes indefinite, and rarely (if ever -- the two studies on this found no instances) indefinite."

Brian Abasciano

Re:

The recent discussion of John 1:1 has raised a couple questions I want to pose. So this is a spin-off of that discussion that will hopefully be more grammatical in focus. If this is inappropriate, just let me know.

(1) Can a predicate nominative (PN) that is qualitative have the sense of a mere adjective? I would think not, that describing something in effect as belonging to a class indicates a thoroughgoing possession of the properties of the class. So, as I mentioned to some off list, when 1 John 4:8 says, e.g., that "God is love", it does not simply mean that God is loving, but that he is loving through and through, wholly loving, so much so that he can almost be equated with love.

(2) Most NT scholars have taken Colwell's rule to indicate that anarthrous pre-verbal PN's are normally definite. Wallace corrects this, but on the basis of the research with which he corrects this, he also states that it is a general rule that anarthrous pre-verbal PN's are rarely, if ever, indefinite (Wallace, 262). So he thinks these are normally qualitative, sometimes indefinite, and rarely (if ever -- the two studies on this found no instances) indefinite. Do you agree?

God bless,

Brian Abasciano


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